Football in England faces a major change after it was confirmed that Gareth Southgate was leaving his role as manager of the national team.
The former Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender announced on Tuesday (July 16) that he would be stepping down. His eight-year reign as manager which saw them reach two EURO finals, as well as a World Cup semi-final, came to an end. Southgate himself said it was ‘time for a change’ and paid tribute to the players and staff that he worked with along the way.
Even before Southgate had officially left, there were markets over who would be the next manager of the England national team. The Three Lions have a game in two months against the Republic of Ireland, and it’s yet unclear what their plans are. They could choose to go with an interim boss with Steve Holland and Lee Carsley in waiting, or they consider making a quick decision, and appoint one before the next squad will be announced, which is around late-August.
A series of out of work Premier League managers such as Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel have been linked, as some consider whether England should look abroad for success. The FA haven’t been afraid to appoint a non-Englishman with both Fabio Capello and Sven-Goran Eriksson given the chance to bring success to the country.
English names are also popping up too with Graham Potter still out of work after his expensive sacking by Chelsea. He was been offered several chances to return to football management since but some are wondering whether he’s holding out for the big job.
When Eddie Howe was at AFC Bournemouth, many were talking about he might be an England manager one day. Howe is now at Newcastle United, and is being tasked with getting the club back in to Europe after a disappointing campaign last year, and it will be interesting to see whether he would be tempted by the job.
In the mean time, here’s the early favourites to replace Gareth Southgate – including the current Wolves boss and a former Birmingham City captain and manager.
